100 Percentile in CAT Exam; Know What 100 Percentile Means?

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Updated on Dec 14, 2025 09:40 IST

100 percentile is a dream score in CAT. And it is not difficult to understand why. CAT 100 percentile means that you are not only eligible for the top IIMs, you are in a position to choose from the best MBA colleges – IIMs as well non-IIMs. Read below to know all about CAT percentile.

CAT score of 100 percentile is an ideal score but tough to achieve. On an average, only about 9-11 candidates score 100 percentile in CAT exam, out of over lakh test takers. So what does CAT 100 percentile mean? Read here.

100 percentile in CAT is a dream score. And it is not difficult to understand why. CAT 100 percentile means that you are not only eligible for the top IIMs, you are in a position to choose from the best MBA colleges – IIMs as well non-IIMs. Every year only a handful of candidates score 100 percentile, despite many getting extremely well raw scores. Now that CAT 2025 result is due anytime, it is time to understand what is actually 100 percentile in CAT.

So, what does 100 percentile in CAT mean? It means that a candidate has performed better than all of the other test takers (2.50 lakh+). It may or may not be only the performance, because if it were so, whoever got the highest CAT raw score would get 100 percentile, definitely. But it is not so, several other factors also matter. To explain further, it is a representation of the relative performance of a CAT candidate compared to other test takers. Similarly, if a candidate gets 99.99 percentile in CAT exam, then their performance is better than 99.99 percent candidates.

Latest: CAT 2025 result soon - live updates

Table of contents

What CAT percentile means? How to calculate?
How Many Candidates get 100 percentile in CAT?
100 Percentile in CAT Exam: Admission Chances
CAT 2025 Marks vs Percentile Estimation
Expected CAT Cut Offs 2025

What CAT percentile means? How to calculate?

To calculate every test taker’s CAT percentile, the examination authority, applies a formula. The CAT percentile of every candidate is calculated from their raw score. First of all, the raw scores of test takers across each session of the CAT exam are normalized to bring them on a common scale. The raw scores of the exam are then converted into percentile on the basis of the following formula:

P = (R/N) × 100

where,

P= Percentile score

R= Rank of the candidate arrived at on the basis of scaled CAT score or the total number of test takers ranking below a particular candidate.

N= Number of candidates who appeared in CAT exam (all three sessions)

Suppose, 1,000 people take CAT and once candidate scored 196 out of 198 (scaled score) and the rest 999 scored below 196. Then the CAT percentile of the candidate who got the highest raw score will be 999/1000*100 = 99.9.

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the CAT exam cutoff required to get admission to IIM Bangalore?

The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.

General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)

Q: What is the difference between qualifying CAT cut off and final CAT cut off?

Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of an IIM is the minimum percentile (sectional as well as overall) required by candidates to be eligible for the Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI round. These are only eligibility score and not the score for selection. The final CAT cut off percentiles are the scores on the basis of which a candidate is actually selected for the What-PI round. The qualifying CAT cut offs are released publically before the CAT exam and result as a part of selection criteria for the MBA/PGP batch of that year. The qualifying cut offs for CAT are release category wise - General, NC/OBC. General-EWS, SC/ST, PwD. The qualifying cut offs percentiles of General category candidate is higher than then rest. The final CAT cut offs are not released publically. The cut offs are estimate on the basis of candidate's selection for What-PI. The final CAT cut offs for General category candidate is also higher than then rest.

Q: What is the CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow?

The CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow is usually around 97-99 percentile. The two courses - PGP Agri-Business Management (ABM) and PGP Sustainable Management (some) are extremely popular among MBA aspirants who wish to make a career in these areas. The institute also offers PGP programme. The qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 90 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST and PwD candidates, it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow PGP course. General category: 85 VARC 85 DILR 85 Quantitative Aptitude 90 (Overall) NC-OBC category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) EWS category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) SC category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall) ST category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) Click here for detailed IIM Lucknow admission and selection criteria: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-lucknow-shortlist-admission-criteria-blogId-18509.

How Many Candidates get 100 percentile in CAT?

On an average, about 9-11 candidates score 100 percentile in CAT every year. Most of the CAT 100 percentilers are from engineering background. Check here some data points:

In CAT 2024, the total number of 100 percentilers in 14, out of which 13 are from engineering background.
In CAT 2023, the total number of 100 percentilers was 14, out of which 11 were from engineering background.
In CAT 2022, a total of 11 candidates got 100 percentile, out of which 10 were from engineering background and 1 was from non-engineering background
In CAT 2021, a total of 9 candidates scored 100 percentile and all were from engineering background.
In CAT 2020 as well, 9 candidates had scored 100 percentile. Out of 9, only 1 candidate was from non-engineering background.
In CAT 2019, the number of 100 percentilers was 10. All candidates were males and belong to engineering or technical background.
In CAT 2018, the total number of CAT 100 percentilers was 11. All the 11 toppers are from engineering and technical backgrounds.

100 Percentile in CAT Exam: Admission Chances

Candidates who score 100 percentile in CAT exam definitely get interview calls from the top IIMs – IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta. 100 percentile is the highest CAT cut offs for PI shortlisting for these IIMs, for General category students.

If CAT 100 percentilers have a good academic record and they perform well in the WAT-PI rounds, are sure to get the final call for admission. Candidates having 100 percentile can not only get the top IIMs but they can actually get any B-school they wish. Being the top rankers with a good profile, every B-Schools will be willing to accept their candidature happily.

Does CAT 100 percentile help in admission to foreign universities?

No, candidates will 100 percentile in CAT cannot apply to foreign universities as the exam score is not accepted internationally. CAT is a national level exam and accepted by only domestic institutions.

Also Read: Top 30 MBA colleges accepting CAT score

Commonly asked questions

Q: Will CAT cut offs rise for 2026 admission?

CAT cut offs do not flutuate much. For the past few years, the CAT exam cut offs for IIMs or other top colleges have not seen much change. If there is any change at all, it is in decimals. However, that decimal point too can make or mar admission chances. CAT cut offs for 2026 admission will largely remain the same as the CAT 2025 exam difficulty level was same as last year and number of takers dipped from last year.

Q: What is the minimum CAT cut off for IIM ABC?

Minimum qualifying cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile whereas for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, it is 85. However final cut offs for these three top IIMs are between 99 to 100 percentile.

Q: Is it possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt?

Yes, it is possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt. Many toppers of previous years' are such candidates. One must study in a focussed manner and do a lot of mock test practice. Exam day strategy is also crucial for better performance.

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CAT 2025 Marks vs Percentile Estimation

Given below is the table indicating conversion of CAT score into CAT percentile. These CAT 2025 expected marks vs percentile arrived at by calculating number of correct attempts.

Percentile	VARC Score	DILR Score	QA Score	Overall
99.9	51	46	48	122
99.5	44	39	40	103
99	40	34	33	90
98	34	31	30	81
95	30	26	25	70
90	23	19	18	53
85	19	15	16	45
80	17	13	14	40
75	15	11	12	34

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Expected CAT Cut Offs 2025

Check the below table indicating expected CAT cut offs 2025 for IIMs and other to MBA colleges in India.

B-Schools	*CAT cut offs 2025 (percentile)
IIM Ahmedabad	99-100
IIM Bangalore	99-100
IIM Calcutta	99
IIM Lucknow	97-98
IIM Indore	97-98
IIM Kozhikode	97-98
IIM Amritsar	95-96
IIM Nagpur	95-96
IIM Sambalpur	95-96
IIM Trichy	94-95
IIM Raipur	94-95
IIM Ranchi	94-95
IIM Kashipur	94-95
IIM Vizag	92-94
IIM Rohtak	92-94
IIM Udaipur	92-94
IIM Bodhgaya	92-94
IIM Shillong	90
IIM Sirmaur	90
IIM Jammu	90
IIM Mumbai	94
FMS, Delhi	98-99
IIFT Delhi	95-99
SPJIMR, Mumbai	95-99
IMT, Ghaziabad	95-97
JBIMS, Mumbai	96
MDI, Gurgaon	97-99
IMI, New Delhi	90
XIM, Bhubaneshwar	91
GIM Goa	85
K J Somaiya, Mumbai	86
TAPMI, Manipal	80
FORE, New Delhi	85
IFMR, Chennai	80
IRMA, Anand	80
MICA, Ahmedabad	80
LIBA, Chennai	70
XIME, Bangalore	70

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Vipra Shrivastava

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Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8

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